Stranded
by theotrophic
Summary: Shion's life is a boring mess. chaos lives a life almost quite the opposite. See what happens when their paths entertwine under strange circumstances.
1. Default Chapter

A/N: Ok, so this is my first attempt at a fanfiction. So be prepared for major suckiness ahead. Anywho, this fic is going to be slightly AU. I'm sure you'll notice it.

Disclaimer: Me no own. How, very, very depressing.

Shion--

Alarm clocks are the worst invention ever. Seriously. Does anyone like alarm clocks? I think not, but that could just be me. For all my animosity towards the retched creation, I won't deny that I get a very keen sense of satisfaction when I slam my hand down on the snooze button. I'd like to think that I am a rebel, going against what is expected of me by pushing that button. But, I do it every morning, and now it's not so much an act of rebellion as it is routine. Stupid alarm clock you even screw up my hidden inner fantasies.

After rolling out of bed nine minutes after I was supposed to, (take that, I am SO a rebel) I staggered groggily to my closet. I opened it and the very pleasant sight of Vector uniforms met my gaze.

Hmmm? Was that sarcasm, coming from ME? I think it was. How very unexpected of me. I can be quite the cynical and sarcastic person though. Really, I can; you wouldn't expect that would you? Most people don't.

I'm Shion Uzuki, the bright eyed cheerful chief of Vector's First R&D Division. I am happy and I smile more than what I would deem healthy. I like to think of myself as one of those chocolate covered graham cracker snacks. I look cool and all on the outside, but I'm a crummy mess on the inside. I know, not the best analogy, but I think it's profound in its own way.

I yawned and took out a hangar. Something caught my eye though. There was a splash of color hidden among all the mundane shades of tan and depressing blue. I dropped the hangar I was holding and it crumpled on the floor. I'll have to pick it up later, and I'll have to iron out every miniscule wrinkle in the uniform. It's the perfectionist in me. Everything has to be perfect. I won't stand for any thing less that a spotless room and

there is no way I could make it through a day knowing that my uniform was wrinkled. Of course it could just be my OCD…

I took out the colorful contrast. It was my red blouse, the one with the flowing red sleeves, and, lo and behold, there were my capris pants too. Amazing…finding clothes in my closet. I know how ridiculous that sounds, but I was under the impression that I didn't own any clothes beside my Vector uniforms. I mean, I have no life outside of work, so why would I have clothes outside of uniforms?

My life is so sad. I am 21 years old, a nice, young, vivacious age. Yeah, vivacious my butt. I have absolutely no social life. I am the head of the highest department of Vector Industries, the most prestigious Scientific Corporation. I work nonstop. Then I go home and sleep. Then I work some more and the cycle continues. That is my life in the proverbial nutshell. Well, I guess it's not in a nutshell, that's just my life period.

A half hour later I was walking down the halls of the First division, clad in…yes, my comfy, bright clothes, not a confining drab uniform. Oh, all hell was going to break loose, I can hear it now. I, Shion Uzuki, am not in uniform and I am at work. I know it's not really that big of a deal, but when you are me, it is. I follow the rule book so strictly that you might think it was some religious work. Wait, do people even have religions nowadays? Once again, I suck at making effective analogies.

I am being completely out of character by doing this, not wearing my uniform, that is. I can't say that I don't kinda like it though. Hmmm, maybe this whole rebel thing will work out after all. But, the first person who comments about this change is going to deal with me ragging on his…or her ass.

Hey! I didn't know that I cursed! Sign me up for a tattoo and get me some hair gel because rebellion here I come! Hmmm, what a surprise. I'm just full of surprises today. The normal Shion would have said, "I am Shion Uzuki, I am very intelligent. Cursing is a sign of unintelligence."

Yeah, well the rebel me says, "Intelligence can stuff it!" Oooh! Can't touch this

I seem to be in an extremely reckless mood. That probably isn't a good thing for my health. I'm not sure I know how to be reckless, I'm too uptight. Whatever. In a few hours I'll be back in the groove of work and I'll have forgotten all about my hidden inner rebel.

I opened the door to my office and was met by the whirring and beeping noises of overactive machines. Oh, sweet lullaby take this recklessness away and spirit me to the world of work.

The sound did seem to have an effect. I found myself calmer and more poised for work. Maybe the silence of the hall had mad me so disquieted, I hate silence. I think too much when it's quiet. And when I think too much I get depressed about my sad life.

"Hey Chief!" I groaned inwardly and smiled half-heartedly at my co-worker Allen. Allen is a great co-worker, don't get me wrong. I just find his behavior…annoying. He is asinine, talkative, complacent, and unbelievably nice. Hence the reason he was annoying. You wanted to hate him, ignore him, push him away, but you can't because he is always being extremely nice while exhibiting any of the afore said qualities.

Allen held out a cup of coffee to me, and I could feel myself smile more genuinely. He was always looking out for me whether I liked it or not. I nodded and took the cup.

"Good morning Allen," I said more curtly than I meant to. Yes, it seems that the rebel me is receding, so much for being reckless. I grimaced.

Allen was looking at me, eagerly waiting for me to take a sip. "It's black, just like you always like it," He egged my on. Apparently he had interpreted my grimace as dislike for the coffee.

I nodded again and took a sip. The warm liquid was soothing and brought me comfort. It washed away any remaining rebellious thoughts or propensities I had. It was time for me to focus on my day. A boring day filled with hours of typing and monotony, but that's my job, and it pays well so I'm not going to complain too much.

"It's great," I said smiling at him over the cup of steaming liquid. "You always know the mornings that I need an extra boost of caffeine."

"Uh…it's decaff."

"Oh," I responded stupidly. I looked at the ceiling then decided I would just walk over to my desk. That would get me out of this conversation...right? I really am sad. I can't even deal with normal social situations without becoming flustered over retarded things.

Unfortunately, Allen followed me over to my desk and watched as I slid into my seat and set the coffee on a coaster. I looked at the few papers on my desk and turned on my computer before turning my attention back to him.

"Doesn't look like we're in for a very interesting day," My hands idly straightened the papers strewn across my desk as I continued. "Looks like we have a lot managerial things that need to be sorted out, and that's about all."

"Huh. Sounds fun," Allen scratched his head as an awkward silence followed his comment. "Well, I'll let you get started on that."

I nodded absently, once again not looking at him. My eyes were on the computer screen as I scrolled through my e-mails. I vaguely registered Allen going back to his desk and beginning a conversation with Togashi.

Hmmm, no interesting e-mails either…wait. CEO of Vector! What would the CEO want with me? I clicked on the mail tentatively, not knowing what to expect. I scanned over the contents. "Miss Uzuki. I have some business I would like to discuss with you. I would be obliged if you could e-mail me back as soon as possible about a convenient time for us to talk via the UMN. I believe it is best for you to be told in person, so as to minimize any confusion or questions you may have."

Wow, talk to the CEO of Vector? I had heard about this guy. Apparently he was the black sheep of his family. I remember there being a lot of objection to him becoming CEO. He was young too. I felt myself get nervous and I bit my lower lip. Well, I had just been complaining about how boring work was. Had I not?

I responded that I could speak to him at 9:00. I clicked the button and leaned back in my chair. That gave me exactly an hour to get things under control before I had to leave.

I felt my eyebrow rise when I heard the familiar ding that meant I had mail. A response so soon? Yes, it was indeed from the CEO. "9:00 will work wonderfully. I look forward to seeing you Miss Uzuki ."

Who exactly was this guy? I guess I would find out soon enough.

Chaos--

Gah. I am hopeless at finding things. It's not even like it's something small. No, it's a book. How can you loose a book? Maybe you could very easily, but when there are no other books in the entire vicinity, an errant book sticks out like a sore thumb.

I sighed. I had already scoured the entirety of the room, but all my searching seemed to be in vain. I know I didn't take it out of the room…joy. That means that it was taken out by someone other than me. Whoever that Tony or overly curious droid may be, they are going to get a piece of my mind. Not anything violent or physical mind you. Anyone could tell you that's not my personality, but I have me a way with words. Ha…was my humor always that bad?

I exited my dorm. Yes, my dorm. I refuse to sleep with Tony, Hammer and the captain. I have a dorm all to myself and I like it that way. It's much quieter, and therefore much more suited to my personality. I heard enough of their conversations to last me a life time of bad mental images. So, I get the dorm, unless we have company. I can be very self-centered at times, but even I would not go so far as subjecting a guest to the crew's loud snoring and not so scrumptious conversation topics.

I immediately felt an arm slip around my shoulders as my door hissed shut behind me. Tony. I looked up at him and he winked at me. I seriously had to suppress a shudder. I worry for the man's straightness sometimes. Yeah, Tony is a flirt and definitely a lady's man, but when you are miles away from civilization and there's an all male crew… I guess somewhere along the line Tony decided that I was the one he'd go after on those long trips. Heh heh. I would go after me too if I was that way…eh. You know what? Never mind.

I casually shrugged off the arm and side-stepped slightly to increase the volume of air between us. I am sooo smooth. Suave. Slick. I don't even think he noticed he had been denied. "So, Tony, what brings you out here…by my dorm?"

"Well," Tony drawled using the dejected arm to scratch the back of his head while inspecting the ceiling. "The captain sent me to tell you something."

Right, like I was going to believe that. I quirked an eyebrow and I couldn't help but smirk. "Why didn't the captain just use the intercom like he always does? Wait…Dear God, it isn't broken?"

I am so good at masking any emotion in my words. Tony didn't even note the sarcasm. Well, I guess my caring reputation does precede me, because he totally took my question seriously.

"Well, not that I know of. He was in the middle of watching a stupid Seraphim Sisters concert and didn't want to be bothered by making an announcement. God, he's so hott on them it almost makes me sick. Dirty old man."

I smiled wryly at that. Yes, that did sound like the captain, but I wasn't letting Tony get away without an interrogation.

"So what have you been doing today Tony?" See? I AM a caring individual, but sometimes I have ulterior motives.

Tony grimaced before replying, "Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Captain insists that we have the Elsa on auto-pilot. He spouted some shit about it being safer and that I waste too much gas."

"Ah," when in doubt always say "ah" it makes you sound better. "So you just sat on the bridge and moped all day?"

"Nah. I ain't THAT pathetic man," Tony looked extremely incredulous at my slight to his so-not-pathetic-ness. "I just kind roamed around. You know, see if I could find anything interesting."

Right, not pathetic at all. "Well did you find anything that interested you? Or is the Elsa officially boring. You know, you could always talk to the droids. They're interestingly amusing in their own way…"

Tony gave me a weird look. Hmmm, I guess that sometimes even Tony can catch me when I'm making fun of him and not being serious. I need to work on that. It is so much more fun when people think you're serious about everything that comes out of your mouth.

"I don't know about any droids, but I did find some other cools stuff. I found a nice little dirty magazine in Hammer's bunk. Ha. I never would have thought he was that type of guy. And I found some cool pieces of junk that I can pawn off at the next place we stop. Oh and I found this book, soo cool. I have no idea what it's about, but I figured I could get Little Master to give me a few for it."

One thing I've found is that if you ask the right questions, your victim will do the talking for you. Sell it to little master though? Huh, it's totally my turn to feel slighted.

"Hey Tony, where'd you find the book? I've been looking for something to read for the past hour."

Awkwardness starts…NOW.

Tony looked at me and then it hit him. He turned red and immediately looked at the ceiling. Yeah, way to not make it obvious. but, hey, I would be embarrassed too if I got caught snooping around someone's bedroom.

"Y-you know what chaos?" Tony stuttered.

"Hmmm?" I asked looking at him with my notorious blank stare.

"Here, you can have the book. I don't think Little Master would like it anyway," Tony gushed as he dug in one of his pockets. He found the book and gave it to me before leaving me with an excuse that he needed to do something in the hangar.

I smiled to myself. I know exactly how to play that guy.Upon inspection of the book I noticed that the book cover had not been taken off. Good thing too, I would have gotten Tony into so much trouble. Tony probably had in mind the last time he had infringed upon my privacy and wisely kept the book shut.

I have so much dirt on that guy. Hammer still hasn't lived it down that Tony was my clown bitch for the day. Yes, I made him dress up like a clown and be my servant for a day. It was either that or I would tell the captain about all the prostitutes he let onto the Elsa that one time. No, I am not above blackmail. Tony knows this very well. We have had a few instances…

I'll not go into that. So, my secret was safe. No one will EVER know that Indiana Jones is my hero. Now, I will have to go put _Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom_ back in my room where it will be safe and sound, away from snooping Tonies.

I am not ashamed that I idolize a fictional adventurer. I just don't want Tony to have any dirt on me whatsoever, because then my blackmailing wouldn't work so well. Indiana Jones can use a WHIP. Enough said. The guy uses a whip and gets lots of sexy chicks while visiting relics. Who wouldn't idolize him?

I need to hurry up though. The captain isn't known for his patience. Especially if he is being interrupted from the Seraphim Sisters.

I rushed back to my room and placed the book on my bed stand before rushing back out. I normally don't rush under any circumstances. I like to take my time, do things slowly. But, that did not mean I was going to willingly face the hung-over wrath of Captain Matthews. He spent a lot of time in the bar last night, and although the droids claim they are working on an antidote to his hangovers, I don't believe that they have finished it.

A/N: ok, that was just an introduction chapter. I swear this story has a plot. Really it does. And, yes this will be a Shion/chaos…I think. Please give me some reviews so I don't get too depressed…please? I'll give you candy…


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Here is the second installment of this…story. Hope you enjoy! Thanx to all my lovely reviwers! Sorry for the wait. Finals cough

Disclaimer: not mine.

**KOS-MOS rox: **Thank you for the review. You are my first review evah! Well, I hope you enjoy your candy. (see the last A/N)

**Wends:** Glad you love the couple too. There isn't enough of it out there in my opinion. But, I sincerely doubt you care about my opinion. Anyway, yeah I agree about chaos. I can't seem to get him quite in character.

**EnkiduFish: **I love your stories! Your "Nowhere Souls" is what turned me on to chaos/shion. I'm glad that you can appreciate my sense of humor. I was kinda worried that it would bring down the rest of the story.

**Nox Fiorre: **No review is too late. So, thank-you thank-you for reviewing!

**Leihko: **You get the prize for being the review that finally guilt tripped me into posting again. I had been putting if off and then you reviewed and I was like "Ok, fine I'll post it." So, thanks for reviewing.

Shion—

I leaned back into my chair and looked warily at the UMN channel that was linked to my desk. Should I talk to him here, in my office, in front of the whole first division? Or, should I get a private channel? Would it be appropriate to get a private channel, when this was purely business?

Hmmm. Maybe I'm over thinking this. Probably. I do that a lot. I shook my head and looked at the paperwork on my desk. I had already been dreading it and now it seemed even more a tedious task than before.

I shuffled through the stack glancing at the subject material. Did I want to upgrade our systems with the newest programs? Well duh. I'm not stupid, of course I do! This is the highest division of Vector; we can't be behind other companies in technology. For the love of monkey, we MAKE the upgrades. Do I really need to be asked to sign a paper saying I agree to update? Apparently I do.

Well at least that one didn't take very much time, or thought. The next half hour I spent signing anything from new employees to current employee evaluations. Not to mention a few ridiculous papers that I crumpled up as soon as I saw them. Do people really want to waste my time asking me how many paper cups my division needs? I don't know! Why can't they have one of the lower-downs do this…heh, I did just sign one new employee and it looks like they might have a job to do. Great for me, stinks for them.

I glanced at my watch and almost had a heart attack. 8:50! Had I really taken that long to do that paper work? Ugh. I am becoming extremely inefficient. No, I'm not inefficient. This job, the things they have me do, reek of inefficiency. Why do I still have to do paperwork? Everything else has been upgraded, transformed into technological novelties. We have robots, why can't they be doing this stuff. I glanced at my empty coffee cup and decided I needed a refill. I pushed away from my desk and stalked angrily over to the table that had coffee and all of its amenities.

I glared at the paper cups stacked beside the coffee pot. That is how I react to things that annoy me, even if they are trivial. That might be the reason I'm relationship impaired. But, in all seriousness, why can't we use mugs or something; it would save ME the time of having to fill out ridiculous forms.

I poured the dark, steaming liquid into my cup and headed back to my desk. After I got settled I hooked up to the UMN and waited while it dialed. The dialing stopped and the screen briefly said "loading" before the face of my CEO came onto the screen.

"Hello Miss Uzuki. It is a pleasure," he said in a smooth voice. It made me wonder if he always talked like that or if it was just his business voice.

He was not exactly what I was expecting. I knew he was young, but this young? He had almost white blonde hair and large eyes some shade of …red? His whole demeanor of youthfulness was enhanced in part by these eyes that made him look like a child wide-eyed with wonder.

"The pleasure is mine Mr. Wilhelm," I responded just as smoothly, in my curt, business voice. "I understand there is something you would like to discuss with me."

He smiled slightly, and the gesture looked out of place on him. His was a face that seemed to be perpetually melancholy. The skin around his mouth didn't seem accustomed to bending in that particular way. "Hmm. Strictly business are we? Well then I will oblige you," Wilhelm shifted slightly before clearing his throat and continuing. "As you know well, the Zohar are our main source of energy. Even the UMN relies on the Zohar."

He looked at me and I nodded in understanding. There was absolutely no explaining needed. I of course knew what energy we ran on. There are probably few in the galaxy who don't know this. In fact, I should feel extremely upset at the slight to my intelligence. But, somewhere inside me, there was that sane voice of reason that told me it wouldn't be a good idea to cop an attitude with your CEO.

"It is not well known to the public, but I assume you realize that the Zohar are extremely dangerous."

Once again I nodded. Maybe he had greater respect for my mental facilities than I had originally thought. Not likely. He seemed to be one of those people who thought that anyone other than him wasn't capable, competent, or able. Albeit he was quieter about it than most people are, but you could still sense the undertone of self superiority.

"It has come to our knowledge that there is a planet, named Ariadne, that is emitting waves of energy. This energy is so vast that we think it could be an alternative for Zohar energy, if not a replacement. This is where you come in," He leveled me with his gaze and I have to admit that it made me uncomfortable. His eyes were no longer that of a child, wide and innocent. There was a weight to that gaze, and it made my stomach knot. He was rather creepy when I thought about it.

"We, Vector, are sending in a team of engineers to research this phenomenon. We have chosen the top engineers from Vector and even some outside. We would like you to accommodate us by joining this team," the smooth voice, said void of emotion.

I opened my mouth to form a reply, but I was cut off. "You will be reimbursed for all the time away from work. Although the amount of time you will spend on Ariadne is rather vague. It is completely dependant on the efficiency of the team in researching and harnessing that energy," Wilhelm said with his eyes directly on mine again. The man assumed too much. I hadn't even acquiesced to his proposal, but here he was, giving me a warning of sorts to not waste time. I suppose when you have that much power you can risk assumption.

"Will I need to bring personal belongings, or will the necessities be provided?" I asked trying and succeeding in masking the frustration in my voice. This man rubbed me the wrong way. I couldn't place my finger on it, but it was there as a nagging feeling in my gut.

"We provide the tools and facilities, Miss Uzuki," The CEO answered curtly. Maybe I hadn't quite hidden my frustration. "You are responsible for anything else you wish to have. I would advise to keep it light. Ariadne is an unpopulated planet; most of it is covered with rainforests. You won't need much in the way of formal clothing. And, I'm not quite sure if there will be a washing facility. That will eliminate many of the toiletries the members of your sex seem to be so fond of."

A rainforest. How pleasant. Shion is everybody's favorite outdoor girl. Didn't you know? No, I didn't think you did. In fact, no one knows. Funny, that's because it's not true. I loathe being outside. Nothing against nature or anything, I actually am quite fond of the beauty you can find in nature. No, more of the repugnance is geared toward the uncomfortable heat of being in the sun, the sticky sweat the sun causes, the annoying, itching, biting bugs that are attracted to the sweat. I can just imagine myself in a hot, steamy rainforest with people I don't know and probably don't like. All the while trying to do research, this doesn't seem like a completely thought out plan.

"I will keep that in mind," I force a smile. I am the picture of professionalism. I will not let my image be flawed, cracked, chinked, by something as insignificant as an inner tantrum about a rainforest. "It is an honor to be asked to join this team."

Wilhelm nodded and continued. "You will be departing from the dock colony in three days. The charter ship will be leaving at 0700 regardless if the whole team is present. I advise you be punctual."

A blank screen. He was gone, leaving me an interesting mix of bewilderment and frustration. Poor Allen, didn't know to keep his distance. "Who was that?" he asked lightly, a curious grin on his face.

I rounded on him, smiling sweetly. "Oh, that was your mom. She was telling me what a good

and hard-working boy you were," my sugar-coated voice was practically dripping with sarcasm. I believe it was completely lost on Allen, though.

The employee in question had a rather hesitant and confused half grin on his face still.

I continued, "So, with my new found respect for you, I decided that I could trust you to take care of the whole division while still performing your normal duties. I will be gone for an unspecified amount of time."

I patted him gently on the back and spread my hands to encompass my desk still filled with paperwork from today. I nodded, before walking out of the office. I knew I was probably going to feel insanely guilty very soon, but I needed to vent and he had offered himself on a silver platter.

Chaos—

I had gone onto the bridge expecting the worst. Quite frankly, I believe my expectations were too low. What I had expected was a harried captain. Not a fuming captain who was seething at the universe. Matthews was holding his hat in his hands and to a casual observer everything would look ok. Me, I could tell his nerves were completely shot, something that is always dangerous. He was twisting his hat obsessively with an almost manic expression on his face. Definitely dangerous.

"Captain?" I almost said it tentatively, but the word came out stronger than I had expected even though it sounded like a question.

"God dammit! Chaos, what took you such a damn long time?" He slammed his hat on and swiveled his chair around to face me. He looked extremely haggard; he must have pulled an all-nighter at the bar.

"I was talking to Tony and it seems that took more time than I expected," I said calmly. I have been around the captain too long for me to be scared of him. Though, I must say, even for the captain his mood seemed to be particularly delicate.

The captains eyes bulged and he banged his fist on the arm of his chair. "I told that ass crack to get you without talking!"

I was seriously worried for my safety, but I could take the blame for this one. Ouch, this is going to hurt. "Actually captain, I believe that I am entirely at fault for the delay. I initiated the conversation against Tony's wishes."

I know that I sound like a businessman, but that's how you have to treat the captain when he's hung-over. Things have to be laid out very clearly if the fog enveloping his head is to be penetrated. You have to be the mature one in the conversation. Not that I'm not normally the mature person in conversations I have with anyone on this ship. Anyway, I have interacting with him down to a science, regardless of the circumstances.

Even so, it was to my immense surprise and relief Matthews didn't pursue the topic any longer. "Oh well. Just get you skinny ass over to the UMN. Little Master wants to talk with you about something," Matthews grumbled. Under his breathe I could make out some incoherent babbling about an "Insistent bastard."

I nodded and walked over to the panel, smiling to my self upon hearing the Captain's grumblings. I could just see the conversation between Matthews and Little Master. It probably would have been amusing to watch. I would have pulled up a chair and eaten some popcorn if I had been here. Well, maybe not, since I was in a rather venerable position, what with being the reason the two had to talk to each other.

"Nice to see you're well, Little Master," I told the scowling, red-haired face that popped up on the screen.

"Yes, and it's nice to see that you didn't strain yourself or anything trying to get here quickly," the scowl was still present, but there was a new sarcastic playfulness in the redhead's demeanor.

Man, I'm surrounded by bi-polar people. I smiled and graciously accepted the criticism. I should be a politician; I do believe I have missed my calling in life. "Oh, something of importance this time? No more girl advice…?" I asked slyly. Not the best idea I'll admit.

Jr.'s face reddened, but as always he covered it up with a fit of yelling. "Hey, that was only once, you big jerk. I should have known you would hold it over my head for the rest of my life. And, _hell yes_, it's important," Jr. paused for dramatic emphasis. "I had to go through some shit to just get to talk to you. Man, I always get suckered into the jobs Gaignun doesn't want to deal with."

I smiled gently to assuage some of his hostility –see, I am passed the point of being scared of most of the more volatile people in my life- and said, "It probably wasn't as horrendous as you're making---"

"What_ever_, man! You didn't even have to talk to the grouchy old bastard."

"Actually, I did. But, if you insist…"

Jr. let out a growl and slammed his hands down on his desk. "Just forget it and let me tell you what was to damn important," he said in defeat.

I have a calm and -so I've heard- infuriating way of wearing people down. Apparently I'm hell to argue with ."I'm listening, Little Master," I said still with my calm exterior.

"About time, too," Jr. said. "Well, Gaignun and I are sending you on a mission. A very important mission. You will be representing the Kukai Foundation and we expect you to behave yourself."

Now that is something I would not have expected to come from Jr.'s mouth. Ever. "Hmm, I think I might be able to keep myself in check this once," I said sarcastically.

Jr. ignored the comment and continued. "Vector has found an alternate energy source and it is imperative that they do not get a monopoly on it. We had to pull some strings, but we were able to secure a spot on the research team of engineers that Vector is sending to investigate."

I quirked an eyebrow. How odd. "Hammer is a much more adept engineer, why not send him?" I asked. Apparently they were going for professionalism and hammer was definitely a better choice for that.

Jr. grinned at me. "Yeah, well, you're more charismatic. Let's just say that you'll be needing all the charisma you can get if you want to come back sane," I could tell he was enjoying this too much. "The types of people you'll be going with aren't exactly the most friendly."

I knew there was something else, because I have absolutely no problems getting along with people if I am not deliberately trying to make an ass out of myself. "You will be going to Ariadne, for an undetermined amount of time."

Ah, there it is. But, really, that's not so bad. I could totally get my Indiana Jones on in a rainforest. Too bad I don't have a whip. Maybe I an buy one before I have to go…

"When do I have to leave?" I could tell there was still something else coming at me because Jr. was still grinning.

"Hmmm," Jr. stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Well, if you want to reach the dock colony their transport is leaving from in time, you will have to depart by tomorrow."

Ok, see if you can make chaos cry. Man, so much for my whip. Gah. What do you _take_ to a rainforest anyway?

A/N: I know im using creative license with the whole ariadne thingy, but, hey, this is au and im gonna make the most out of it. And im REALLY sorry about the whole lack of update. I re-wrote this thing a million times and im still not satisfied with the way it came out. Oh well. And thank you again to all my reviewers. You may now all have your candy (throws skittles) hope you like skittles, theyre all I have.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I'm updating HOORAY! I am extremely sorry for the complete and utter lack of any updates for a very long time. I won't go into details about my three week imprisonment in a Canadian fishing camp without a computer. Neither will I complain about immediately being dragged from Canada to Stone Mountain in friggin Georgia, once again without a computer. And, I most certainly won't say a word about how when I finally came home I had to spend weeks without internet access because my dad disconnected it.

Please excuse my ramblings. Thank you to all the people who actually enjoy this story enough to write me reviews. They are much appreciated.

Oh, and has anyone else noticed the increase of chaos/Shion stories lately?

Disclaimer: I do not own chaos or Shion or anything else I have borrowed from Xenosaga.

And now on with the story…

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(¯'·.¸(¯'·. Shion .·'´¯)¸.·'´¯)

"No bug spray!" I cried in exasperation. Bug spray is something so simple yet extremely hard to find. The product has become obsolete in modern society. There is no longer any use for it since civilization inhabited space. Needles to say, I knew that the probability of finding a store that sold some was slim to none. I conveniently forgot this, however, as I glared at the nervous woman standing behind the counter.

"I-I'm sorry miss, but we don't sell that item," the woman dark haired woman squeaked as she quailed under my gaze.

I let out a growl of frustration and turned on my heel away from the counter. I felt the familiar twang of my conscience as I waded through the piles of old, rusted junk and made my way to the exit. I had been rather short with the woman. She wasn't much older than me, actually. I couldn't help but feel sorry for her luck, working at a place like this. I always had never been much of a morning person; my temper was even shorter in the mornings, and, seeing as it was six o'clock, I thought I had a very good excuse for my actions. But, all the same, my over active conscience was having a hay-day. I made my way past one last dilapidated droid before exiting under a blinking neon sigh that read "Talk to Me."

"'Everything from toilet paper to AGWS.' What a load of bull," I muttered glancing around at the rest of the Dock Colony. The colony, much like the "Talk to Me" store, was a dingy, old, rusted place that looked like it might be on the verge of crumbling into nothingness. In fact, the place was very reminiscent of a junk yard. Beside the ships that were docked to do business or refuel, I doubted that there was anything of actual value in the whole colony. Oh well, the people were nice enough.

I began to slowly walk past the rows of docked ships and glanced at the slip of paper that was clutched in the hand that wasn't occupied by my very small duffle bag. According to the memo, which I had received shortly after my chat with the COE, I was looking for dock 6. I looked around at the nearest ship and noticed from a pealing sign that it was docked at dock 12. Well, at least I was close. One of the few good things that has happened to me this morning, I thought darkly, remembering my breakfast. I shuddered involuntarily at the thought.

I continued walking in the same direction and the next ship I came to was docked at what another faded sign said to be number 28. I stopped and looked around in frustration and bewilderment. I knew this place was old, older than most modern technology. But, come on, was it older than logic too?

I continued to glare at the flaking sign, but I wasn't seeing it. I had begun going through a mental list of all the obscenities I knew and sorted which ones would be most effective on the next person that crossed my path. I had already been in a bad mood, and the knowledge that I would in all likelihood be spending the rest of my morning lost in a maze of illogically numbered docks had, surprisingly, done nothing to brighten that mood. In other words, I needed to vent, and soon.

"Hey Shion!" squealed an excited, high pitched voice from behind me.

That was certainly quicker than expected, but I wasn't going to complain. I turned, ready to spout a few of those obscenities, but I stopped short.

"Miyuki?" I asked in disbelief.

The girl in front of me beamed and vigorously bobbed her mousey brown head before throwing her arms around me in a lung crushing hug. I gingerly returned the hug and quickly detached her arms to prevent the fracture of my ribcage. I stood bent over, gasping for air and smiling in spite of myself. Miyuki was one of the few people that I could call a friend, or at least I hoped a very close acquaintance, albeit an exasperating one.

"Oh, Shion, I'm so excited," Miyuki told me cheerfully. "I haven't seen you since graduation two years ago. Hmm, that reminds me. You never answered any of my e-mails."

See what I mean when I say exasperating? I didn't know it was possible for moods to change that quickly, even during menopause.

I backed away slightly from Miyuki, who now had an accusatory glint in her eye and had her arms propped on her hips. Well, now isn't this awkward. Are you allowed to say, "I think you have the tendency to be annoying so I deliberately avoided you for two years?" Doubtfully a tactful response. I nervously scuffed the ground with the toe of my shoe and grinned sheepishly. "I was busy?" I asked hopefully.

To my great relief and bewilderment, Miyuki's face brightened and she seemed to accept my answer. "That's right," she said thoughtfully and looked as if she were trying to remember something. "Oh yeah, I think I remember hearing that you got a really good position at Vector immediately after graduation. And, judging from that uniform you're wearing, I'd say I heard correctly. No surprise though. You _were_ always the top of the class, you know."

The brunette stopped talking and studied me intently, and I smiled nervously. I'm never quite sure how to react around her; her rapid mood swings tend to make her…explosive? Volatile? Unpredictable? All of those adjectives can be used effectively on Miyuki.

After a moment she continued her monologue. "Wow, Shion. You look fantastic now that I get a good look at you. I'm glad to see that you finally got rid of that childish braid you always wore and those ridiculous glasses. I _did_ always say you'd look better with contacts."

I didn't quite know how to respond to that, so I resorted to looking somewhere between nervous and embarrassed. "Uh…thanks," I said uncomfortably. I'm positive I'm wowing her with my stellar intelligence. And now, I will show my renowned social tact. Hah. How laughable.

"Right…umm, so how have _you _been Miyuki?" I asked eventually.

Miyuki's expression was nothing short of shocked. She quickly tried to cover her shock with a hugely cheerful smile. But, I had seen it, and I had expected it. Last time I had seen Miyuki, I had been even more introverted than I am now. I would never have said anything at all and contentedly let Miyuki talk herself hoarse. I have improved so much that now I am actually _talking_. A big step, if I say so myself. I couldn't help but feel smug about her surprise. How utterly depressing. I am currently feeling a great amount of pride over an ability that most three-year-olds can accomplish with ease.

"Well, since you asked," Miyuki said, sounding pleased. Whether she was pleased with my new development of being able to speak or with what she was about to tell me, I could not tell. "Well, after graduation I got hired into Vector's 3rd division. I've been slowly trying to work my way up the ranks ever since and I think I'm doing I pretty good job. They sent me on this trip anyway, whether that's a good thing remains to be seen.'

She paused and looked wistfully at me before continuing. "But, I must say, my job doesn't seem to be treating me as well as yours is treating you. I just can't get over how good you look. I'll just pin it on your age like I always do. I _am_ three years your senior you know."

I rolled my eyes inwardly. Miyuki was rambling again. Normally I wouldn't have minded, but when Miyuki rambled she had the unnerving habit of rambling about me. I don't ever think I'll understand why, either. For starters, Miyuki was always nicer than what was good for her. Secondly, she had always had a strange obsession for me that borderlined on being idolization. Combine those two together and you get an almost sickening conversation. A conversation filled with more compliments and praise than I could stomach. So…the socially adept person that I am tuned her out.

I stood there staring absently at Miyuki's animated face as she spoke to me. I'm sure that if I was in any other position I would have been assumed dead. My eyes had achieved that glazed over, unfocused stage.

When I hazarded listening again I found that she was back on the subject of her job. "Anyway, I do like my job," she was saying. "I've been promoted a few times, as I was saying earlier. I'm here to be on a team of researchers that are going to...what's the name again?... oh yes! Ariadne, or at least something like that." Miyuki looked rather proud of herself and I assumed that it was because she had actually remembered the planet's name. I could be wrong though.

I was rather surprised to hear that I had been sent on the same trip as Miyuki and as a result I let out an incredulous "What!" before I could think the better of it. I don't like to think of myself as a conceited person, but I have always aloud myself to maintain my pride in certain areas. Those areas are limited, I must say, but I am definitely of a whole different caliber than Miyuki. At least when it comes to engineering and science.

Miyuki was looking at me with a very strange expression on her face. "Are you all right Shion?" she asked eyeing me skeptically.

"Yeah, Yeah!" I said hurriedly. "I was just so surprised and excited to hear that you were on the same trip as I am that I kinda lost control of my vocals."

See, I do think I have developed _some_ social tact. At least, now, I knew enough to be able to think up a convincing lie. Or maybe it wasn't quite convincing, but, come on, it's hard to lie about something like _that._

Miyuki's eyes widened in shock. "Y-You're going on the same trip as I am?" she said slowly, almost to herself. "Omigod that's so awesome! Shion we're going to have so much fun!"

I eyed her warily, not sure if she was going to give me another one of those hugs. To my relief she didn't show any signs of it. "Yeah, it's going to be amazing," I said in a cheerful voice that made me cringe inwardly. "I heard our ship is really nice."

"The ship is soooo cool," Miyuki said, bobbing excitedly in place. "Wait, you haven't been there yet? Come on Shion, I'll take you to it. What on earth were you doing all the way over here anyway?"

I decided to not respond to her question, afraid I might blow up at her. Instead, I let her lead me to where our ship was. Cheerfully ignorant of my mood, Miyuki seemed to have absolutely no problems navigating her way through all the random dock numberings. For some reason I wasn't really surprised.

Miyuki came to a halt in front of an expensive, sleek cruiser. "This is it!" She exclaimed excitedly. "Come on lets go inside, I'll show you the Jacuzzi!"

And I found myself being dragged by an over-excited Miyuki. Boy, what an impression I'm going to make. I hope I don't meet anyone important while acting as the caboose for the Insane-Miyuki-Train.

(¯'·.¸(¯'·. chaos .·'´¯)¸.·'´¯)

I heard the excited squealing before I saw them. Truthfully, I was shocked that there would be anyone on this trip that would _squeal_. Jr. had told me that this was very important and all that other stuff. So, I was fully prepared to be around stuffy middle-aged scientists. And, from what I had seen up until this point, my assumption had proved correct. In fact, I had already made myself acquainted with most of the said scientists. These scientist types tended to be overly prepared and got here two hours before the intended time of departure. I unfortunately, though on Jr's orders, was here almost as early.

I had introduced myself to them in my calm, friendly way. I didn't want to make a bad impression or do something entirely stupid to point out right away that I was the engineer for the Kukai foundation. Though, I think my anxiety in that particular area may have been misplaced. I was the only person not in Vector uniform. My yellow and blue leather body suit (the one he wears in episode 2) made me stick out like a sore thumb in the tan mass that surrounded me. I assumed that was why I was receiving some curious stares, but then again they were mostly from the female demographic. Tony _had_ told me my butt looked good in this outfit. But, then again, that was Tony.

Heh, maybe the tight leather _wasn't_ exactly professional, but, come on; we are going to a rainforest. I for one was going for comfort over professionalism. To the untrained eye my outfit may look constricting and uncomfortable. But, I had worn it down over the years and the supple material had conformed to my body.

I raised my eyebrows as an energetic girl came hurtling around the corner and almost collided with me. I watched in amusement as the girl tried stopping herself quickly. She succeeded, only to immediately be knocked over by her companion, who hadn't been able to foresee the sudden stop. Needless to say the girl landed on the floor and a guilty looking friend immediately helped her up.

The disheveled girl narrowed her eyes and pointed a finger at me. "You should be more careful. You big jerk! Did you see what you just did?" she yelled at me.

The yelling girl's quieter friend looked mortified and quickly interrupted her. I got a sudden flash of recognition, then it was gone. I know I had seen her before…somewhere. I'm so bad at connecting faces to names. How do I know her…It'll come to me eventually. "I'm so sorry sir," she was saying, glaring pointedly at her fuming friend. "I'm terribly sorry if we caused you any trouble."

I looked at them with barely contained amusement and shook my head, smiling slightly. "It's fine," I told her. "Hmm, I'll just have to remember to watch out for people flying down the hallways."

I could see her groan inwardly, apparently humiliated by being seen doing something so inappropriate. On the outside, however, she remained stiff and proper, dignity maintained. Head up, shoulders back, almost militant. "It won't happen again, I assure you," ever businesslike, she turned to her friend and looked expectantly.

"Yeah, sorry," the girl mumbled. She turned to continue down the hallway, but she was stopped. Apparently Miss Professional felt the situation hadn't been amended satisfactorily.

She primly extended her hand saying, "Shion Uzuki, a pleasure to meet you."

AHA! _That's_ how I knew her. I remember reading an article about her becoming Chief of Vector's First R&D Division. There had been a picture and everything. Hmmm, I must say though, she either isn't very photogenic or she has changed a lot in the last two years because she looks very different standing here in front of me. In a good way. She seemed to have matured more into her womanly graces, so to speak.

I grasped her hand and shook it gently. "Just call me chaos," I said smiling at her. I could tell, regardless of what she just said, she was anything but pleased with the circumstances of our meeting. She raised an eyebrow slightly at my name, then immediately retracted her hand. Man, she needed to lighten up.

"Well, where were you two off to in such a hurry?" I asked trying to make pleasant conversation with them.

"Shion just got here so I was going to go show her the pool and Jacuzzi!" the apparently bi-polar girl said excitedly. Then as an after thought, "Oh, and the name's Miyuki."

Miyuki didn't extend a hand in greeting like her companion, and instead just looked at me, taking in my appearance I assumed. She didn't say anything for about a minute and I started to feel a bit uncomfortable. Does she do this often? Weird.

Suddenly Miyuki turned and whispered something to Shion who blushed furiously and immediately averted her gaze to the ceiling. Wait…now _that's_ interesting. What in Zohar's name could Miyuki have said to get that reaction from the stoic chief? Oh well. Not really any of my business.

That perky Miyuki girl was grinning about something and Shion had finally brought her eyes back down from the ceiling. She looked at me in the eye as if she were daring me to say something, then, in the curtest voice yet, "If you'll excuse us, chaos. We need to be going."

And Shion was off walking briskly down the hall with a Miyuki scampering after her. Dignified to the last, if not a little rude Shion was definitely an interesting person. She could, of course, use more humor in her life. But, compared to all the other scientists on this ship, she was by far the youngest. I could tell, whatever the maturity difference, Miyuki was her elder by a few years.

Interesting. I continued down the hall and branched off down one of the residential hallways and slowly made my way to my room. The automatic lights exposed a bare room with no personal touches. I had packed little to nothing and my bag was tucked out of sight in the closet. I had had a hell of a morning. Being woken up at 3 am is never fun, but, when the waking up is done by Hammer, it was torture. There was nothing I wanted more than to lie down on that bed and sleep, but I held myself back.

I glanced into my bathroom and saw a stack of fluffy white towels. Ah. Yes, a shower is just what I needed. We would be departing in less than a half hour and there was a short debriefing in the mess hall directly after we left port.

I slid out of my leather outfit and immersed myself in the stream of steaming water. I let out a content sigh and let my mind wander. I found myself replaying the strange scene in the hallway.

Man, those two definitely weren't what I would expect. Especially that Shion Uzuki. She was quite different than most people her age. Real reserved. Then again, maybe she was just under strain from having to be around the Miyuki girl. That girl seemed like she could push anyone to their limit. They didn't seem the type that would be friends. Well, opposites attract right?

I stepped out of the shower and pulled one of the towels off the shelf. I was rubbing my head down when the floor lurched beneath me. I shot a hand out to steady myself on the counter but my feet still slid on the moist floor. My head banged the counter as gravity worked her magic and had me flying to the floor.

Ouch. I rubbed my tender head as a cool female voice came over the intercom. "Time of departure 7 o'clock. Please head to the dining area for a brief synopsis of your journey."

I mumbled a few incoherent curse words at the emotionless voice and quickly finished my drying job. I was out of my room and walking quickly to the mess hall in under two minutes.

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A/N: Please Don't kill me! I did my best to get this thing out on time, but that obviously didn't work out to well. I know the few people who actually read this are going to be like, "What, we waited forever for THAT piece of crap." I'm so sorry. Read and Review? Please, Pretty please with chaos on top? Anyway, thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far. I 3 you guys hardcore.


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